I have been in Nepal for a month now and this beautiful country has captured my heart. Nepal seems like a country straight out of a fantasy novel. Mountains rising in the distance, wherever you go, views always catch me off guard, making me realize how blessed I am to be here. During our hikes in the countryside and visiting different villages I would sometimes stop and forget about everything around me and just be in awe of God’s beautiful creation. What fascinates me so much, is find people living everywhere around this country, whether in the hectic city of Kathmandu or residing in small villages deep inside the mountains. There is life everywhere. And the life of the people we visit in this country is in impacting me.
The people of Nepal have such a rich culture. A culture of serving and generosity. I have not yet visited a place in the world, where people are so eager to serve and serve with so much joy. In a way, God has been speaking to me, through the generosity of these people. I believe God created us, with a purpose to serve others and share generously with others. God created us, mankind to encourage each other and help one another as a community, and to do all this with joy.
God has also awoken in me a new passion to take portraits of people. I have always felt a desire to capture pictures of different people and their stories, but lately, it feels like it has been watered down by comparison and forgetting to invite God into the process. However, when I take photos of people I see them in a new light. Now I can clearly see that He is vital to my creativity and He is the one who gives my photography a new meaning. He smiles upon seeing my photos being used for His glory and honor.
The first weeks here I was caught up in the struggles and frustrations of the language barrier and what that meant for me. I forget what it means for God. I forgot that God can break through that barrier, and use my gift to communicate value and love through taking photos and showing these people in a different light.
I am beginning to find a new value in my photography and the impact it can have on people. To seek out more of how God sees each person, and less what my eyes see. How He sees their worth and His beautiful creation reflected through them.
